Paint can holder



April 7 1959 A. DlcKs 2,880,953

PAINT CAN HOLDER Filed April 25. 195s 2 sheets-sheet 1 April 7, 1959 A. DlcKs 2,880,953

PAINT CAN HOLDER Filed April 25, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 Y Armar ofc/fs INVENTOR.

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United States Patent O PAINT CAN HOLDER Arthur Dicks, Saugerties, N.Y. Application April 25, 1955, Serial No. 503,409 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-210) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in paint can or bucket holders to support the same on a ladder, scaffolding or other supporting structure.

An important object of the invention is to provide a can holder of cage-like construction and including an upper ring having a pair of parallel, spaced apart projecting supporting arms, and each provided with a channel-shaped clip at its outer end for attaching to a ladder step or other fiat supporting structure.

Another object is to pivot the clips for horizontal swinging movement to engage the rear of the step and with the arms resting thereon to support the can holder in a forwardly extended position, or to swing the clips into opposed relation with each other to engage the opposite edges of the top step of a step-ladder to support the can holder at one side of the ladder.

A further object is to provide a crossbar for the arms to prevent spreading movement thereof and to provide the crossbar with an L-shaped bolt and wing nut for clamping to the step of the ladder, and to further slidably mount the crossbar on the arms for adjustment in accordance with variations in the width of the step.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is strong and durable, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on a line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on a line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of one of the clips taken on a line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on a line 5-5 of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the can holder supported on the top step of the ladder at one side thereof.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 4 designates the cage-like can holder which is preferably constructed of strap metal and includes an upper split ring 5 having a pair of arms 6 and 7 projecting therefrom and with the arms arranged in spaced apart parallel relation to each other.

A pair of U-shaped straps 8 and 9 have their base portions 10 and 11 arranged in crossed right angle relation to each other and with the upper ends of the straps formed with loops 12 to receive the ring 5 for hanging the straps thereon.

The arms 7 are positioned in edgewse vertical arrangement and the outer ends of the arms are twisted at right angles to position their surfaces at a horizontal plane to form a horizontalptongue 13 at the outer end of each arm. A channel shaped clip 14 has an upper ange 15 pivoted to the tongue 13 of each arm to swing the clip horizontally and with the arms placed on top of a step 16 of a step-ladder the lower flange 17 of the clips will engage under the step, as shown in Figure 2, to support the can holder in position on the ladder.

The arms are locked to the step by means of a strap metal crossbar 18 slidably positioned transversely on top of the arms and with one end of the crossbar formed with a downwardly projecting tongue 19 engaging the outside of one arm and with the other end of the crossbar formed with a channel 20 to receive the other arm on the outside thereof.

An L-shaped clamping bolt 21 has its threaded upper end 22 extending upwardly through the crossbar and provided with a wing nut 23 on top of the crossbar and the lower end 24 of the bolt projects under the step 16 of the ladder in opposed relation to the clips 14 to clamp the arms to the step.

The can holder 5 will thus be securely attached to the ladder to support a paint can 25 therein.

The can holder may also be supported on the top step 26 in a position at one side of a step-ladder by swinging the clips 15 outwardly at the sides of the arms 6 and 7 in opposed relation to each other to engage the front and rear edges of the step, while the clamping bolt 21 engages the end of the step.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A paint can holder comprising a reticulated cage-like member having an open top and adapted for placing a paint can therein, said member including a split ring at the top thereof, a pair of arms projecting at the split end portions of the ring and said arms being positioned substantially parallel to each other and adapted to rest on top of a step of a ladder, a lirst clamping means at the outer ends of the arms adapted for engaging an edge portion of a step and a second clamping means carried by the arms radially inwardly with respect to the lirst named clamping means, and said rst and second named clamping means coactng to clamp the arms to the step of the ladder, said rst named clamping means comprising a pair of channel clips extending laterally and outwardly from said arms with channels confronting for engaging the side edges of the step, said second named clamping means comprising a cross bar on said arm between said ring and a pair of clips and an L-shaped bolt depending from said bar in the center thereof and adapted to clamp under the step.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 808,602 Fergusson ..,De 26, 1905 857,820 Mosher June 25, 1907 1,328,705 Alpen Jan. 20, 1920 2,051,060 Upthegrove Aug. 18, 1936 2,432,189 Bucher et a1. Dec. 9, 1947 2,563,350 McCombie Aug. 7, 1951 2,589,520 Wallenius Mar. 18, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 49,353 Denmark Sept. 24, 1934 197,158 Great Britain May 10, 1923 

